A neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA, also called a muscle relaxant) is routinely used during the administration of anaesthesia to facilitate endotracheal intubation and to allow surgical access to body cavities, in particular the abdomen and thorax, without hindrance from voluntary or reflex muscle movement. NMBAs are also used in the care of critically-ill patients undergoing intensive therapy, to facilitate compliance with mechanical ventilation when sedation and analgesia alone have proved inadequate.
Based on their mechanisms of action, NMBAs are divided into two categories: depolarizing and non-depolarizing. Depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents bind to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRS) at the neuromuscular junction in a way similar to that of the endogenous neurotransmitter acetylcholine. They stimulate an initial opening of the ion channel, producing contractions known as fasciculations. However, since these drugs are broken down only relatively slowly by cholinesterase enzymes, compared to the very rapid hydrolysis of acetylcholine by acetylcholinesterases, they bind for a much longer period than acetylcholine, causing persistent depolarization of the end-plate and hence a neuromuscular block. Succinylcholine (suxamethonium) is the best known example of a depolarizing NMBA.
Non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents compete with acetylcholine for binding to muscle nAChRs, but unlike depolarizing NMBAs, they do not activate the channel. They block the activation of the channel by acetylcholine and hence prevent cell membrane depolarization, and as a result, the muscle will become flaccid. Most clinically-used NMBAs belong to the non-depolarizing category. These include tubocurarine, atracurium, (cis)atracurium, mivacurium, pancuronium, vecuronium, rocuronium and rapacuronium (Org 9487).
At the end of surgery or a period of intensive care, a reversal agent of NMBAs is often given to the patient to assist the recovery of muscle function. Most commonly used reversal agents are inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), such as neostigmine, edrophonium and pyridostigmine. Because the mechanism of action of these drugs is to increase the level of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine, they are not suitable for reversal of depolarizing NMBAs such as succinylcholine. The use of AChE inhibitors as reversal agents leads to problems with selectivity, since neurotransmission to all synapses (both somatic and autonomic) involving the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is potentiated by these agents. This non-selectivity may lead to many side-effects due to the non-selective activation of muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, including bradycardia, hypotension, increased salivation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and bronchoconstriction. Therefore in practice, these agents can be used only after or together with the administration of atropine (or glycopyrrolate) to antagonize the muscarinic effects of acetylcholine at the muscarinic receptors in the autonomic parasympathetic neuro-effector junctions (e.g. the heart). The use of a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) antagonist such as atropine causes a number of side-effects, e.g., tachycardia, dry mouth, blurred vision, and furthermore may affect cardiac conduction.
A further problem with anticholinesterase agents is that residual neuro-muscular activity must be present (>10% twitch activity) to allow the rapid recovery of neuromuscular function. Occasionally, either due to hyper-sensitivity of the patient or accidental overdose, administration of NMBAs can cause complete blockade of neuromuscular function (“deep block”). At present, there is no reliable treatment to reverse such a ‘deep block’. Attempts to overcome a ‘deep block’ with high doses of AChE inhibitors has the risk of inducing a “cholinergic crisis”, resulting in a broad range of symptoms related to enhanced stimulation of nicotinic and muscarinic receptors.
There is thus a reed for an alternative method for reversing the action of NMBAs, i.e. to restore the muscular contractions.